The trip up to Portree on the Isle of Skye was quite a journey and I slept well that night. It’s a good thing too because we had a fun filled day ahead of us. We did so much that I cannot fit it all in this post but in the next few postings.

Portree on the Isle of Skye

The Old Man of Storr

Our first destination of the day was a famous natural rock formation about 6.5 miles north of Portree. It is called the “Old Man” of Storr, a large rock peak that stands high and separate from the mountain The Storr and part of the Trotternich ridge on Skye. They say the formation was created by a massive landside that left the colossal rock creation behind. It’s reportedly one of the most photographed landscapes on Skye if not the world.

We arrived at the car park where we were lucky to get a good parking spot considering this is a well-known destination. During the warm months in Scotland many of the mountains would be clear of snow, however because we are in early March the tops of many mountains are still snow covered. Just my luck a Canadian goes on vacation and can easily find snow wherever I go. Yet the landscape at the foot of the mountain was clear of snow with lush green scenery. It was an enjoyable hike up but once we arrived at the snow line the footing got a little trickier. We all had proper footwear and clothing of the elements but no matter how prepared you are, you still have to be respectful of Mother Nature.

There was some water runoff and we had to be careful not to slip. We kept going up and we were about 300 meters from the “Old Man”. We passed a gate and began climbing a muddy/snowy path. My companions were ahead of me and I began going up, but then I slipped a bit and felt a sharp pain in my ache and said to myself “Ok that’s it.” I broke both my aches long ago playing hockey and baseball and I did not enjoy both experiences. The sharp pain was in the same areas and instead of pushing to the point where I would reinjure them I stopped and headed back to the gate area where I knew my companions would return for the climb back down.

I know when to listen to my body when it says that’s enough, or it sends a sharp pain saying to slow down. I was not disappointed because I stopped, I simply continued to breath in the clean crisp air and enjoyed the beautiful landscape all around me. My companions eventually returned and they had some wonderful close up images of the formation.

We made our way back down, carefully, as we revelled in a wonderful experience. To be honest I had never climbed a mountain before and even though this was more of a medium level of difficulty I did climb up more than half of it. Our first experience on Skye was a great hit, but this would only be the beginning of a day full of wonderful experiences.

About Me

Born and raised in Toronto Canada, I am a certified Elementary teacher working at a school board with children from kindergarten to grade 5. The one thing you should know about me is that I love all art forms but especially drawing, writing and music.

I discovered that when I inspire others, they in turn inspire me. This wonderful realization is the inspiration in creating this blog. My creativity comes from the people around me. Hopefully, I can inspire others as they have inspired me.
I try and post everyTuesday and Friday along the following themes:

Tuesday – I will try to post some of my art or that of the children’s
Friday “Friday Two Cents” – I will try to post my opinion, or my two cents, on something that happened in the news or to me during the week.

But watch out during the other days of the week just in case. If I find something Inspiring, Interesting or Creative, I will do my best to share it